The Path of Progression
by lil'nomdeplume
Summary: Set after Civil War. Tony is adjusting to life as Director of the Avengers. He and Pepper are still on the outs, but with her impending visit to the compound, can they work out their differences and move toward some semblance of reconciliation?
1. Chapter 1

**One thing we can all agree on-**

 **No one in this fandom likes what's happened in the MCU with our couple, especially since Pepper's voice hasn't had a chance to be heard in all of this.**

 **HOWEVER- this is the hand that Marvel's dealt us.** **(On that note, Does Marvel even PAY ATTENTION their own movies?! SO many ignored details! SO much ridiculous inconsistency! I guess the answer to that question would be a resounding NO! THEY DO NOT! But I digress...)**

 **So this is MY attempt to try to work** **with the mess** **we've currently got for cannon, however OOC it may be.**

 **Plus, I guess I felt the need to write this because I can't ignore some of the details from Civil War that might give clues as to where Tony (and Pepper, for that matter) are headed in future films. So this is my interpretation of what should happen based on that. With a few embellishments, naturally. (Special thanks to nancyozz, LaurelKK, and Sundaychild71 for many spirited discussions, and for being wonderful sources of inspiration for this story!) And I plan to write at least one, possibly two more chapters, to complete the story.**

 **I'd love to know what you think! Feedback is always welcome!**

 **Pepperony forever. May true love conquer all.**

 **Happy Reading...**

"Ms. Potts is due to arrive in 3 minutes, Mr. Stark," FRIDAY reported.

Tony smiled to himself. "Right on time," he happily replied. He had been browsing some newly proposed amendments to be made to the Sokovia Accords sent from Secretary Ross in an email, as he sat in his office that overlooked the grounds of the Avengers Compound, one clear, sunny afternoon in Upstate New York.

He sat back in his desk chair, rubbing his weary eyes, now only noticing it had been hours since he'd lost himself in the legal vernacular of the document he would have otherwise found dry in years past. But, boring tasks or no, he was trying to learn to adapt to his new position- Director of the Avengers, for now, with a very _possible_ appointment as the new Director of SHIELD in the near future. It was no secret that, _before,_ the idea of relegating himself to a "desk job" would have sent him into a fit of dry heaves. But after the events that had taken place over the past several years, and after having had to sacrifice so much, it was undeniably appealing to him, now, to have a less hazardous occupation at this point in his life. It would just require a period of adjustment.

Make no mistake- this was not the beginning of the end for Tony Stark. He had his work cut out for him. And he was definitely up to the task. But his main focus, in accepting this new role, was that it would be just another step in proving to a _certain CEO_ he was once again worthy of her time and attention. He had her love, he was fully convinced, as she'd assured him of that very thing when they'd broken off their relationship- that her love for him was never going to fade. However, their _life_ together- their _reality-_ couldn't move forward if she had to keep living in constant fear of catastrophe. Truth _was,_ she had become exhausted. _He_ had exhausted her. _And who could blame her?,_ he thought. She'd given him everything she had. And, in turn, he had given everything _he'd_ had. Not back to _her,_ mind you, but to the never-ending cause of protecting the world _,_ instead. So it wasn't hard to figure out- someone in that equation was destined to become completely depleted.

Sure, he'd _tried_ to step out of the ring, so he could focus only on their relationship. God _knows_ he did. But, in doing so, he'd always managed to make more of a mess to have to untangle in his attempt to exit his career as Iron Man. And, in the process, risk even more than he'd anticipated in trying to right things again. So, that's when the bleak conclusion was reached between them. Until _he_ was in a position to equally share the responsibility of what it took to care for a stable and secure relationship- which is what Pepper desperately needed from him after all of the years of being the one to piece him back together, and to help clean up his messes- they needed to put their romance on hold. For the good of their collective sanity. Even if that meant it was on hold _indefinitely._

Her visit today was going to be the first time they would be face to face since their break up. Admittedly, the thought of being able to see her again _did_ send a thrill of excitement shooting through him. On the other hand, because not _once_ had they occupied the same physical space _since_ that time, there was also a tentative uneasiness in the pit of his stomach about it. He knew he could have dropped into her office at any point to see her. But, after much consideration on many occasions, he'd decided not to, opting instead to let her dictate, on _her_ terms, when and how they'd meet up. And, so far, she _hadn't_. In fact, the _only_ contact they'd made, if you could even _call_ it that, had been between him and her assistant strictly regarding Stark business matters. And it had worked in her favor so far, but the time for that had run out. She simply couldn't avoid being in his presence forever, no matter how much she may have wanted to.

On that note, Pepper hadn't planned this visit voluntarily. It was required, as per company by-laws, that she make a physical visit once a year to any location in which Stark Industries had financial holdings. The Avengers Compound was no exception. And during her visit, Tony was to give her a grand tour of the facility, walking her through all departments of operation, after which she'd create a report to present at the next board meeting. The other Board members would subsequently vote to approve or reject continued funding based on the information she'd collected. _Thank you, corporate standards of operation,_ he thought to himself, amused to no end that he was being afforded this little bit of kismet while the compound was still privately funded. Something that would soon be changing, if he _was, in fact,_ appointed to be the Director of SHIELD as well. The merging of the Avengers Initiative and SHIELD would then fall under the U.N's sanctioning in the Sokovia Accords, become a part of the Department of Defense, and be subsequently funded by the federal government. The early drafts of the amendments that would need to be added to the Accords to make this happen is what he'd busied himself with reading that day. And if all of it went the way he assumed it would, this could very well be the _last_ required visit Pepper would have to make to this location, as Stark Industries obviously would not be bankrolling it anymore. Granted, she'd remain his company's CEO (at least as far as he could tell, she'd _planned_ to stay), so he'd still have a point of professional contact with her. Just the frequency of her being in his presence would be lessened. And, predictably, that didn't sit well with Tony.

But Pepper's visit wasn't important to him just for that reason alone. He had a bigger agenda. He'd been busy working to rebuild what was left of the Avengers, yes, but he'd also been actively training Peter Parker, as well. (His Aunt May had so far bought the "grant" alibi he and Peter had lead her to believe, which allowed Tony to mentor Peter for long stretches at a time, all in the name of "higher learning" this "grant" supposedly afforded him. And, if he had to admit it, he was actually _proud_ of the kid. He'd come a long way, and was a quick learner. Tony figured he'd be fully trained in just a few more short months, at most, and ready to take on bigger missions.) In taking on these new roles, Tony soon realized he no longer saw the need to _be_ anything else. _Th_ _is_ is what excited him _most_ about today- the chance to show Pepper what he was on track to accomplish. For the future of the Avengers and SHIELD. For himself. But,most importantly, for _them._

He ordered FRIDAY to close all files and put his computer to sleep, as he checked his watch once before he left his office to head for the helicopter landing pad, as Pepper was flying up from New York City this day in the company chopper. He couldn't help the growing feeling of giddy anticipation zipping up and down his spine as he jogged jauntily down the stairs to the lower level, opting for that rather than taking the elevator out of the need to expel some nervous energy. He continued his brisk pace, making his way outside to the asphalt square marked with yellow hazard paint in the clearing. He came to a stop right at the edge of the pad, and jammed his hands in his pockets, affixing his eyes on the distant sky to await her imminent arrival.

A tiny black dot started to appear high up in the distance, growing larger with every second of its approach. He bit his lips together, to keep from a grin appearing in response, but soon couldn't help it, as his mouth rebelliously formed into a wide smile. "Here she comes, here she comes!" he couldn't help but mutter excitedly to himself. He continued to watch, with rapt attention, but still smiling intently.

Soon, the sound of the rotors cutting the wind became audible, and the black dot slowly morphed into the familiar form of a helicopter. The AI-piloted aircraft neared the landing pad, and began to drop its elevation. Tony saw the gold lettering on the side panels reading _Stark Industries_ become visible, as the chopper turned just before it touched down so that the exit could open out to the building.

He could make out Pepper's faint silhouette through the tinted window in the rear of the cockpit, the mere sight of that alone causing a flutter in his stomach, making his knees go momentarily weak. _Jesus! Pull it together, man!,_ he thought. He forced himself to regain his composure as the engine died, and the rotors slowed to a stop. The door was then opened, and Tony inadvertently held his breath in anticipation as Pepper slowly emerged. She was clad in a dark grey, skirted business suit, complete with black stiletto heels, and her long red hair wrapped neatly in a twist on the back of her head- the picture of professional poise. _Stunning. As always,_ Tony mused fondly, smiling to himself.

She kept her eyes downward, cautiously watching her footing as she disembarked. And then once she was clear of the aircraft, with both feet firmly on the ground, she shifted her eyes upwards to meet Tony's. They shared a momentary gaze, her expression faintly pained, until she appeared to remind herself of the purpose of her visit, and quickly replaced it with the polite smile he knew she gave to anyone whom she dealt with strictly on a professional basis. At the sight, he couldn't help but feel a slight pang of hurt, though he hadn't logically believed she'd give him any more than that when she saw him. But his _heart,_ though. He suddenly realized his _heart_ had stubbornly held out for more.

Pepper squared her shoulders, and began to stride in Tony's direction. He, too, pasted his best professional smile across his lips, though his version always consisted of a cocky smirk, and a cocked eyebrow. "Well, if it isn't the lovely Ms. Pepper Potts!" he bellowed jovially, as she approached, not being able to help laying on the flirty charm.

Pepper gave him a knowing smirk as she approached. "Tony," she said politely, greeting him. She quickly surveyed his appearance, and then brought her eyes back up to his. "You're looking well. Seems your worst nightmare, being _'held prisoner in an office, shackled to a desk chair',_ as you once put it, suits you better than you thought it would."

Tony chuckled at her attempt to snipe at him. "Yeah, well. They give me an hour a day for outside recreation. And I'm just lucky enough to be able to spend it with my CEO today. So, let's make this quick, huh? We don't have long. The warden's watching the clock," he jabbed back.

Pepper nodded. "Yes. _Let's,_ " she agreed, ignoring his joke. "Besides, I...can't stay long. I have to get back to the city. _Soon,_ " she said, with a hint of warning in her tone, though her face showed only a polite smile.

Tony furrowed his brow at her tone, and then went back to his cocky smile. "Well, then. Shall we?" he asked, gesturing toward the door.

Pepper smiled in return. "We _shall,_ " she replied.

He offered her his arm, but Pepper stepped briskly past him, ignoring the gesture and walking ahead toward the entrance. He spun around on his heels to follow, pursing his lips at her snubbing his attempt at chivalry. However, he decided to dismiss it for the moment, and worked quickly to catch up to her.

She was walking at a brisk pace, and it took him a minute to fall into step beside her. He began to speak, once they were side by side. "In the spirit of making this easier for the both of us, I thought we'd..."

"The... _training_ facility. I understand that's been expanded?" she asked, interrupting him. She didn't make eye contact. She just fixed her gaze ahead of her, as they walked down the long corridor toward the center of the building.

Tony stammered, as her abruptness caught him off guard. "Uh, yeah...well, it's not so much been _expanded,_ as it's..."

"But you've added a retractable roof, correct? For the purpose of training exercises, and to test newly developed _weapons?"_

"Not _weapons,_ in the _traditional_ sense,Pep...," he corrected. She turned her head to look at him, and cocked an eyebrow, and he suddenly wondered if she even _wanted_ to be called that _,_ anymore. "Pep, uh, Pep-Pep-per," he stammered, then awkwardly clearing his throat. "But we test different applications...for... _better._..and certainly more _efficient_..."

Pepper rolled her eyes, and let out a sharp, impatient exhale. "They're _weapons_ , Tony. Anything that can be discharged with the intent to disable, maim, or destroy any- _thing_ or any- _one_ is, by definition, a _weapon_ ," she replied sternly. _"_ Though why _I_ need to explain this to _you,_ is beyond me," she then muttered under her breath.

"You _don't!_ I'm just trying to explain that what _we're_ doing is..." Tony argued defensively.

"I _know_ what you're doing," Pepper countered flatly.

Tony raised his eyebrows in objection. "No, you _don't,_ actually. So let me explain, so you can fully appreciate what we're trying to accomplish. As I said, we're testing new applications for things that have never been used in a capacity like _this_ one before. I mean, you've gotta..."

Suddenly, Pepper stopped in her tracks, and glowered at him. Tony halted, looking at her cautiously, as if she might spontaneously combust.

Pepper shook her head in defeat. "I _swear._ We can't even go five _minutes_ without..." she muttered to herself through gritted teeth. Then she exhaled sharply. "Okay. I didn't want to have to do this _this_ early in the day, but you're leaving me no choice," she spouted. "You want to know what _I_ see here?"

Tony frowned, unsure if he should actually answer the question, or if she'd asked it rhetorically.

But Pepper continued without his acknowledgement of her question. "I see a _massively_ expensive building to maintain that, most of the time, occupies two people."

"Me and The Vision," Tony said impishly.

Pepper huffed, and gave him a curt smile. " _Yes,_ Tony. _You_ and the _Vision_. Why? Because you're trying to piece back together members of a disbanded coalition that, until recently, was publicly labelled as a just a group of _vigilante crime-fighters_ that the United Nations _finally_ had the good sense enough to reign in. But _strangely,_ _none_ of them are really ever _here,_ now."

"Well... _that's_ because, and I don't know if you'd heard, but..." Tony began.

But Pepper huffed. "I'm _not finished_ ," she stated firmly.

Tony frowned, and immediately stopped talking, a little taken a back by her growing aggression.

She continued. "That isn't the extent of it, is it? You've also made a new friend! So, congratulations! He's a _fifteen_ year old. From _Brooklynn_. _And,_ from what I understand, you and he geek out in this place, _messing_ with your latest gadgets, and _playing_ with your toys, _all_ while _your_ company is _paying_ for it. Never _mind_ the fact that you've failed to obtain _any_ sort of parental or legal guardian's _permission_ for _what_ Mr. _Peter Parker_ is _actually doing_ with you here during the time that his poor, widowed Aunt believes is purely being used to further his academic studies, leaving Stark Industries with _immense_ liability should anything ever happen to him, God forbid. _That's_ what I see happening here."

Tony just stared at her, speechlessly.

She continued, her chest heaving. She averted her eyes from his for a moment, in an attempt to regather her composure, and then turned her eyes back to him. " _Look,_ " she said, in a softer tone. "I don't like my being here any more than you do," she stated.

Tony spoke up, attempting to argue with her again. "No. See, that's not...I mean, I actually _don't mind..._ "

But Pepper ignored him once more. "So, pardon me if I seem a little short with you? But, besides all of _that_ , having to re-immerse myself in this environment, oddly _enough_ , is not even _remotely_ pleasant for me," she stated. "Much less the fact that you _insist_ on carrying on with all of this when just about _everyone_ _else_ has seemingly abandoned ship."

Tony worked his jaw, carefully choosing his words before he spoke. "These things take _time,_ Pep," he finally began, trying to keep a measured tone. "A lot has happened in the last few months, and we're in a rebuilding phase. So, it isn't _fair_ for you to..." Then he shifted his gaze down to the floor, stopping himself as he started sounding too defensive. "No. You know what? I'm not gonna argue. I get it," he said, in defeat.

Pepper exhaled sharply, fully expecting him to carry on his rebuttal. So him cutting off his response only left her confused. "What?" she asked.

"I said 'I get it', Pep," Tony repeated. He smiled weakly, to show her they were of some semblance of agreement. "From the outside looking in, you're right. It looks like I'm just a middle-aged guy hanging out with a fifteen year old punk kid, and _wasting time. And_ money."

Pepper frowned, relaxing her defensive posture in response to his agreement with her. "W-well, that sounds... _more_ severe than I'd _intended_ to..." she stammered.

"No, _a_ s I said. You're _right,_ " Tony reaffirmed. "But you know what? I can _accept_ that."

Pepper scoffed, and rolled her eyes. "Which part- what it looks like, or the fact that you're new best friend is not even half your age?" she muttered.

Tony frowned, and huffed. "I think you _know_ which part. And can I at least explain _why_ I'm willing to accept it?" he asked.

Pepper turned her eyes back to him, as the only indication she'd allow him the chance to speak. So he took it.

"Because, I _know_ what I'm working toward," he stated firmly, jamming his hands into his pockets.

Pepper exhaled. "And _that is?_ " she asked apathetically.

Tony took a step toward her, and Pepper squared her shoulders in an attempt to hold her ground as he looked her squarely in the eyes. They firmly held each other's gaze for a moment, before Tony relented, and shrugged. "Passing the torch?" he said simply, shifting his eyes away from hers and taking a few steps past her.

Pepper frowned, not entirely sure of his meaning, and slowly turned around to watch him. Tony remained silent, keeping his back turned to her, his hands still in his pockets. He let several moments pass between them before he turned around to face her again, and to speak. "I've known for a _while_ , now, that I can't keep charging into the fight," he said.

Pepper scoffed. "Oh _r_ _eally?_ _Have_ you now," she replied coldly, folding her arms in front of her. " _Funny._ I'd like to know _when,_ exactly, you reached this epiphany, Tony! Because I know it wasn't after you threatened a terrorist, who then blew up our house, with _us_ inside it. Or when everyone thought you were _dead_ after that, and I got kidnapped by the same terrorist, who then injected me with the Extremis serum. And we know it certainly _wasn't_ when you created a potentially world-dominating, computer virus that managed to level an entire eastern European city before you could contain it! But what about your best friend being paralyzed by the _hand_ of your _own creation_?! Tell me. Is _that_ when you realized that _maybe,_ just _maybe,_ you should stop risking everything to try to save the world?! Is _that_ when it happened?! That's the only _logical_ explanation, isn't it? Because I know it sure as _hell_ wasn't when you thought it would be a good idea to ask me to marry you, even though _nothing_ about our situation had changed at the time, and we were _still_ in the position of having to brace for catastrophe at a moment's notice! _WHY?_ Because you _just can't HELP yourself!_ _That's_ where we end up. It's where we _always_ end up!" she spat, her voice having grown steadily louder, and echoing shrilly off the concrete walls around them. Her breath suddenly caught in her chest as a bitter sob escaped her throat, causing her to clap a hand over her mouth in an effort to try to hide it. But Tony could see she was trembling. Tears welled in her eyes, and she hastily swiped at them.

After a moment, she took a breath and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. That was... _not_ appropriate," she murmured. She huffed and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "God, this is so _not_ what I wanted to do with you today!" she exclaimed skyward in frustration.

Tony held up his hands in surrender. "No argument, here, Pep. I know that was a long time coming," he murmured.

Pepper put her hands on her hips. She closed her eyes to steady herself, and then reopened them to look at him. " _Please,"_ she begged. _"_ Let's just get this over with so I can _leave_ , okay? And you can go back to doing... _whatever_ it is you think you're doing here," she finished, her voice weary. "Don't worry. I won't stand in your way. I'll write you a glowing review so you keep getting your funding. In all honesty, I'm not sure I even _care_ anymore. You're going to do what you're going to do. No matter what _I_ , or anyone _else,_ tries to tell you. And that's that. So the quicker I get this done, and can leave you to it, the better off we'll both be."

They stared at each other silently, for a moment, until the raw tension in the room filtered out into the atmosphere enough to unfreeze Tony from where he stood. He hesitated, at first, and then began to amble toward her, closing the gap between them. Pepper stayed where she was, and remained silent as he did this, but her eyes pleaded with him just to let her go without another word. He came to a stop silently in front of her, and slowly raised a hand to gently wipe a stray tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb. And she let him, without any objection, her eyes staying trained on his face, watching indifferently, as if he hadn't done anything at all. Which both surprised him, _and_ saddened him. Once upon a time, a small gesture like that would have rendered her helpless against him break down of her defenses. But apparently, that was no longer the case. _Apparently_ , she meant what she'd said- she really _didn't_ care any more. And it made him realize that all of his expectations for the day had been created in vain- that there really _was_ no coming back from all of the damage he'd done. But, he also knew, if he didn't at least _try_ to finish telling her everything he'd planned to tell her, that he'd regret it for the rest of his life.

 _It's now or never,_ he thought _. So, here goes nothing._

"For what it's worth," he began softly. "It _is_ really good to see you again."

Pepper gave him a weak smile, and chuckled sadly. "Hard to believe, after my little outburst just now. But thank you," she replied politely.

"You're welcome," he said, and smiled softly back. "But before you _go_ , I... _do_ have something to tell you," he murmured. He took a deep breath. "I'm _done,_ Pep," he stated simply, his voice quiet.

Pepper looked at him with a frown, and he saw that the light in her eyes had been diminished. But it hadn't yet completely disappeared. He took that as a sign that she, just _maybe,_ had a _smidgen_ of interest in still listening to him.

She took a slow, very deliberate breath. " _Done,"_ she muttered wearily. "What do you mean _done?"_

"I mean I'm _done._ Fighting the fight. As Iron Man _._ That's what I meant by _passing the torch,"_ he explained.

Pepper drew back, looking at him suspiciously. "How is that possible?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't need to put myself in the battle anymore. Don't get me wrong. I can still help with the _war effort,_ so to speak. I've got too much experience, and too many resources to lend to the cause. So I wouldn't feel right if I _didn't_ contribute in _some_ way. But I don't have to physically be _in_ the _battle,_ risking my life, anymore. I've earned my stripes. And I've _lost..."_ he said, pausing briefly. _"Too much,_ " he finished. "So the hope _is_ that I can focus now on training the others up. Like _Peter,_ for example," he said. " _That's_ why he and I spend so much time together. Because he _wants_ to fight _._ He wants to help right some wrongs in the world, you know? And he'll _do_ it. I _know_ he will. I can see it in his eyes. He's got that...that..."

" _Sense of purpose?"_ Pepper offered.

Tony smiled softly, and nodded. "Yeah," he said.

"You know, I seem to remember knowing a guy that once had that same look," she mused. But then her expression changed from reminiscent to sorrowful. "And _then_ , before he even _knew_ it had happened, that sense of purpose ended up costing him..."

" _Everything,"_ Tony finished glumly. He worked his jaw, and nodded in agreement. "I _know."_

 _"_ Does _Peter?_ _"_ Pepper asked. "Tony, he's _just_ a _kid!_ What does _he_ know about what he's _risking?_ "

Tony frowned. " _Nothing,"_ he answered. "Not _really._ But I guess that's what I'm trying to do- teach him what _I_ had to learn the hard way. So he doesn't make the same mistakes I did. So at _least_ he's not alone in this, and trying to figure it all out, like _I_ was! He's got other people to help carry the load, you know? Team mates. Reinforcements..."

"Like _you?_ " Pepper asked pointedly, the hurt from the past evident in her eyes. "Have we come to it, then? Is _this_ the part where you try to rationalize _why_ you can never stop building suits?"

Tony swallowed hard. "Funny you should ask," he said. He kept his eyes on Pepper's, but lifted his chin to speak up. "FRIDAY? Give Ms. Potts the current number of Mark suits in inventory on location, please?" he requested.

"There are currently _no_ Mark suits online at this location, Madam," FRIDAY replied.

Tony cautiously studied Pepper's face to get her reaction, but she only narrowed her eyes with skepticism. "FRIDAY?" she called out, keeping her eyes trained on Tony's this time. "What is the current number of Mark suits in inventory at _any_ location?" she asked.

"There are currently _no_ Mark suits online at _any_ location, Ms. Potts," FRIDAY again replied.

Pepper's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she searched Tony's face, as he watched her process the implications of what he was telling her. Her chest began to heave, and she shook her head in disbelief. " _No._ It _can't_ be. I don't believe it," she gasped.

"Well, it _is._ And you _can_ believe it," Tony assured, watching her intently.

"I _shouldn_ _'t,_ " Pepper argued weakly.

"You _should,_ " he retorted, smiling now, while watching her defenses crumble.

Pepper's chest still heaved, but slowly, despite trying to fight it, a hopeful smile broke out across her face. A sob escaped her lips, as new tears formed in her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks. She sheepishly swiped at them. But then she shook her head again, and frowned, making one last-ditch effort to deny her acceptance of what he was telling her. "No. Tony, _please!_ Don't toy with me! I can't go through this again. I can't..." she begged, her voice giving out to a whisper.

Tony reached for her, but she weakly pounded a balled fist against his chest in resistance. "I can't! I mean it! I've heard this before! I don't want to get hurt again!" she warned.

"You _won't_ _,_ baby. I promise _,_ " he murmured, feeling her finally surrender as her pulled her fully into his embrace. He felt her shake as she started to cry against his shoulder, so he held her close and silently rubbed her back, trying to calm her down, while helplessly letting himself revel in the familiar feeling of her in his arms.

"I _hate_ what's happened to us, and I _know_ you do to," he explained softly, as he held her. "If I could go back and change things, I would. But I _can't_. So I figure this is the next best thing."

Pepper pulled back to look at him. Her chin quivered, and she bit her lips together to try to steady herself, shaking her head. "We shouldn't have to be apart," she said weakly. Then she swallowed hard. "I don't _want_ us to be apart, anymore," she stated.

"I _know._ And neither do _I,_ _"_ Tony agreed, looking at her with an intent smile, his eyes sparkling at her admission. "These last few months have been _torture_ without you," he told her, with a dramatic eye roll.

Pepper giggled and nodded, through her tears.

He looked deeply into her eyes. "But I _promise._ It's _different_ this time. Before, I...I couldn't _not_ be involved in the way that I was," he went on to explain.

Pepper smirked. "Yeah. I _noticed,_ " she joked.

Tony chuckled, and then continued. "At the _time,_ there was no other way for me to fight besides suiting up, and..." Tony tilted his head, and impishly quirked a corner of his mouth up. "Leaving you _behind?_ To _worry?_ Neither of us knowing if I'd made it back home alive again?I _knew_ it was far too much to keep asking of you, Pep. So, I don't blame you for not being able to sustain it. I'm _sorry._ Okay? I'm _sorry_ I continued to put you through that."

Pepper smiled. "Thank you," she whispered gratefully.

Tony smiled. "But it doesn't have to _be_ that way, anymore. _Now?_ I _finally_ have a way to help keep the world safe, without sacrificing everything. And I can _finally_ build a life with _you."_

At the sound of his words, Pepper's breath caught in her throat again, and she clapped a hand to her chest to steady herself. She nodded, as new tears filled her eyes. "I'd like that," she whispered.

Tony grinned. "I thought you might," he murmured sweetly back. He took a deep breath. " _So_ , in _my_ mind, there's only one thing left for us to _do_ to effectively end this torturous time apart," he stated resolutely. Then he gave her a playful smirk.

Pepper giggled. "Oh? _,"_ she murmured, smirking back at him, her eyes flicking hungrily from his eyes to his lips and back again. "Care to demonstrate?" she teased.

Tony gave her an eager smile. "My _pleasure,"_ he replied earnestly, before leaning in and crashing their lips together. Pepper squeaked as they both melted into the kiss. They let out a collective moan, built from the pure, ecstatic relief of being back in each other's loving embrace.

Pepper wrapped her arms around Tony's neck as their kiss deepened, and he replied by holding her tightly, protectively, his hands running up and down her body, insatiably trying to make up for the lost time between them.

They remained like this for several moments, hungrily devouring each other as their desire reignited. But eventually, they both realized there was only so far they could go with each other where they stood. So the kiss gradually slowed to a stop, and they rested their foreheads against one another, the both of them grinning at what had just transpired.

" _God,_ I've missed you," Tony murmured breathlessly. "You don't _know_ how much I've missed you."

Pepper's breath was equally as ragged. "Oh, I think I have an _idea._ So many nights spent just..."

"Lying there? Staring at the ceiling?" Tony finished. And Pepper smiled at the shared sentiment, nodding in agreement.

"Yes," she said. "Going over and over in my mind all of the ways we could have..."

" _Not_ let this happen," he guessed again, and she chuckled, nodding in the affirmative once more.

" _Right,_ " she agreed, in a whisper.

Tony bent to capture her lips with his again, savoring the taste of her long lost kiss. Pepper raised a hand to lovingly cup his cheek as he kissed her. And when the kiss broke, he put his hand over hers and brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the heel of her palm before bringing it protectively to his chest in his.

"Don't go," he pleaded, his voice a soft whisper. " _Please?_ Stay on for a couple days. Or at least until tomorrow."

Pepper bit her lip in thought for a moment, and then slowly began to nod. "Okay," she agreed, and Tony grinned.

"Yeah?" he asked, hopefully.

Pepper chuckled. "Yes," she replied.

"Oh, _perfect_ ," he cooed, and gently tilted her chin up to softly peck her lips. Pepper smiled and kissed him tenderly back.

"You _know,"_ Tony purred mischievously, once the kiss broke. "There _is one_ place I'm _dying_ to show you while you're here," he teased, with a smirk. "Any guesses as to where I might be referring to?" he cooed.

Pepper giggled, playing along. "I _do_ have my guesses, yes," she purred back. "And I'm sure it's _vital_ to the completion of my report for me to see this _mystery place_ , too, I'd imagine?" she teased.

Tony chuckled, and then feigned surprise. "Of _course!_ " he cooed. "You _are_ here for the 50 centtour, correct, Ms. Potts?" he joked, with a smirk. "I wouldn't _dream_ of letting you leave without at least taking a _peak_ at it."

Pepper chuckled, and gave him a knowing grin. "I wonder if that's what you say to _all_ the girls you bring through here," she inquired, testing him.

Tony shook his head. "Nope. No other girls. Just _you._ And _only_ you," he remarked. He fell silent, studying her eyes to make sure she knew the level of his sincerity.

Pepper fell silent as well, and studied his face. Then, she slowly smiled in understanding. "Glad to hear it," she murmured in reply.

Tony then grinned with deep satisfaction at her, and reached for her hand. He turned himself so that he stood beside her, and placed her hand in the crook of his arm. "Then it's settled!" he chirped playfully. "Off we go to the ever-so-exciting conference room!"

Pepper looked at him with a wry frown.

"What?" he asked innocently. "Am _I_ the only one who finds long, mahogany tables surrounded by Corinthian leather chairs positively _titillating?_ " he teased.

Pepper just rolled her eyes at his joke. "I see you haven't lost your sense of humor in all of this, Tony," she remarked drolly.

He just pumped his eyebrows and grinned mischievously at her in response, as they began to walk in the direction of his private quarters. "Yeah, yeah. Admit it, Potts. You missed it," he replied.


	2. Chapter 2

**I changed the rating on this story to T because I felt a massive, smut-filled, love scene might slow down the action, and could do just as well implied (strange for me, I know). BUT, I'm not opposed to publishing a mature version of this story, too, if people would want to read it. So, let me know your thoughts, I 'spose, and I'll be happy to oblige if there is enough interest.**

 **A BIG thanks to LaurelKK for the inspiration. I,too, have often wondered if a "certain condition" would ever come back to haunt Pepper again... ;)**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing! Your feedback is ALWAYS appreciated. :D**

They soon reached Tony's private quarters, and it was hard for him to conceal the giddy smile spreading across his face as he pressed his thumb to the fingerprint reader plate that opened the door. The locks hissed, and the door popped open in response. Tony gestured for Pepper to enter before him. "Ladies first," he purred with a smirk.

Pepper smiled and walked past him to enter the living room area. She stopped a few feet in, and looked around her. It was, predictably, a very modern and highly-stylized space, just as the Malibu Point house had been, and the house they'd built together subsequently after. But the color palette was noticeably drabber- a very monochromatic grayscale, down to the darkest black, and accented with chromed fixtures. Far different from the very light, very neutral coloring he'd always chosen for decor back home. She couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't chosen the same, here.

"Welcome to Casa de _Stark_ ," Tony quipped, closing the door behind them, and leaning against it, watching her take it all in. "It's not sunny California. And it's not _our_ house, but you know, it's... _well,_ " he said, shrugging, his voice trailing off.

"Nice," Pepper finished for him, turning around to face him with a polite smile. "It's very _nice,_ Tony. I can see how you'd be very comfortable here. _"_

Tony smiled, and shrugged. "Well, it's just a place to hang my proverbial hat, anyway," he replied, matter-of-fact. He pushed himself off from the door, and ambled over to where she was standing. He slowly ran his hands around her waist, and pulled her close to him. "But I gotta say, it's definitely better now that _you're_ here," he murmured sweetly. Pepper smiled in response, and Tony dipped his head to the side to softly kiss her. She let out a breathy moan when he did this, and slid her hands up his chest and around the back of his neck to pull him closer to her as they deepened the kiss. Tony responded by playfully pinning her back against a nearby wall, in return. Pepper squeaked in surprise, and giggled softly when he did this, and Tony chuckled softly back as he kept going, running a hand down her side, over her behind and down the back of her thigh, gently grasping it to bring her leg up around his waist as they continued to make out.

He was just beginning to quicken their pace, when Pepper pulled back, reluctantly breaking away before opening her eyes to look at him. Both of their chests were heaving with anticipation, and he looked at her curiously. "What is it? What's wrong?" he gasped.

Pepper's expression was pained. "We need to slow down for a second. Just...hold on," she said breathlessly.

"Why?" Tony asked, confused. "Don't you... _want_ to?..."

Pepper shook her head. "No, that isn't it. Of _course_ I do," she answered.

Tony nodded and shrugged dismissively. " _Good,_ " he cooed, and leaned in for another kiss.

Pepper helplessly kissed him back, unable to resist. "Tony, _wait,_ " she said, after a moment, her words muffled by his mouth on hers. She pulled back to look at him again. "We _can't,_ " she insisted. "At least, not until I tell you something. _Please._ It's the only way."

Tony looked at her cautiously. "O- _kay._ What is it?" he said, searching her eyes for any clues as to what it might be, and subconsciously bracing himself.

Pepper chewed her lip for a brief moment in thought, and then sighed heavily. She reluctantly unwrapped her leg from around his waist, and stood back upright, pulling her skirt back down and straightening her posture. Then, she bit her lips together, wincing, unsure of where to start. "God, how do I say this?" she asked rhetorically. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Okay. I...I'm...,"she stammered.

Tony's eyes immediately widened, and he looked at her in trepidation. His mind had started reeling with a million different conclusions like the spinners on a slot machine until it settled on _one-_ a very _startling_ one. " _Whoa,_ " he murmured, as he mentally connected the dots, but not really meaning for that to slip out.

Pepper stopped and frowned, looking at him curiously. "What? What do think I'm going to say?" she asked.

Tony swallowed hard. "The only thing that makes sense, I guess," he reasoned. " _Wow,"_ he gasped, in amazement. "He was _right,_ wasn't he? The son of bitch was _right!_ Only question is- how in the _hell_ could he have guessed it at the time?" he babbled. He worked his jaw in pensive concentration, seemingly carrying on an inner dialogue with himself, as his eyes darted around.

Pepper just looked at him, totally bemused. "Tony, _what_ makes sense? What are you talking about?" she asked. "And who's ' _he'?"_

He scrubbed an anxious hand over his goatee, and then shifted his eyes back to hers before he spoke again. " _Steve_. He happened to ask me one time if you were...well, if _we_ were..." he stammered. He swallowed hard again. "Just...uh, just _know,_ Pep. I'm _here_ for you, okay? Wait. That came out wrong. What I _meant_ is we're in this _together._ We can _do_ this. Right? I mean, we _can._ Can't we?" he continued to babble. His chest heaved. "I just uh, I gotta take a minute..." he mumbled, and he moved away from her to briskly walk to the sofa. He plunked down heavily on it, as if he would have fallen down where he stood if he hadn't have sat down at that instant.

Pepper walked over to where he was, and sat down next to him, looking at him quizically. "Tony, I'm..." she said, trying to begin again.

" _Pregnant,"_ he finished, nodding, turning his head to look at her. "And I'm _fine_ with it. Okay? More than fine, in fact, if I'm being honest. But, I think it's because, somehow, I already _knew_ it, you know? Even before Steve asked me that, I had a hunch. So, I've had time to adjust to the idea, and it doesn't feel like its _completely_ out of the blue. I mean, it's not entirely improbable that _maybe_ we _could_ have...well, forget _maybe._ We _did,_ I guess," he prattled. "So how far along _are_ you? Like, Three? Four months?"

Pepper huffed. "Would you stop babbling, and just listen to me?!" she begged, her voice heavy with annoyance. "I'm _not pregnant_!"

Tony stopped talking, and looked at her blankly. "What do you mean?" he asked, not comprehending.

Pepper gave him a wry smirk. "I _mean_ that's _not_ what I need to tell you," she stated.

Tony frowned. He exhaled, and shook his head. "Then, I don't get it. What else could it be?" he asked.

Pepper pursed her lips, grimacing. "Alright, here goes," she began, taking a deep breath. "I'm... _leaving the company,"_ she finished regretfully. " _Probably,"_ she said, to quickly clarify.

Tony's eyebrows instantly raised in alarm, and then he frowned as his expression became saturated with disappointment. "You're... _leaving?"_ he asked softly, looking completely gutted.

Pepper gave him a sympathetic look. It always pained her terribly to see any kind of hurt in his eyes. In these moments, he seemed so vulnerable, similar to her in some ways to how a child would be- like he was unable to comprehend why someone would do this to him. And it made her want to pull him into her arms, to protect him and tell him it was all going to be alright, and say how sorry she was that he was made to feel this way. Especially _now_ , when it was _she_ that had caused him the pain to start with. _Not unlike another moment in recent times,_ she thought regretfully.

But, in an effort to tamp down the impulse and the guilt, she instead stood up, leaving his side and walking toward the window. She felt his eyes following her as she leaned heavily against the glass with her arms folded in front of her. She shifted her gaze outside, before she continued. "I've...been propositioned by a few different companies recently," she began slowly. "None of which are our direct competitors, however. Just so you're aware. And I wouldn't do that, anyway. You know that," she went on.

Tony stood up to walk to where she was. "No, of course not," he said numbly. He then made his way over to her, jamming his hands in his pockets. "So...any decent offers?" he asked.

Pepper flicked her eyes back to his. "Yes. _One,"_ she answered.

"From w _ho?_ " Tony anxiously asked, and then instantly backtracked. "Wait. Sorry. You don't have to tell me, if you don't..."

"Fujikawa," Pepper replied simply, without hesitation.

Tony startled. " _Japan?!_ " he choked out. "You're _actually_ considering moving all the way to..."

Pepper shrugged. "We're in the final part of the interviewing process, now," she replied simply. "It's between me and another candidate. And if they decide on _me,_ it would be a damn good offer. I'd be stupid _not_ to take it."

"I'll match it," Tony suddenly blurted out. "Whatever it is, I'll..." But then, he quickly stopped himself, realizing how desperate he sounded. "I _mean_ ," he recanted, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Is...is this something you... _want?"_ he impishly asked. "I mean, do you _want_ to move to Japan, Pepper? It just seems so... _"_ he said, struggling to find the next words. " _Far away,"_ he finished, dejected.

"To be honest, until this afternoon, I thought I _did_ ," she replied. "But, now, I don't know. With everything you've told me, I just...I don't _know._ "

Tony sighed, and stepped closer to her, smoothing his hands down her upper arms, as he looked deeply into her eyes. "Well, the last thing I want to do is pressure you. It's clear you need some time with all of this," he replied.

Pepper looked at him, surprised by his efforts to maintain objectivity. She smiled. "Firstly, thank you for understanding," she stated gratefully. "And second, I have to say I'm _quite impressed_ with how well you're handling this, all things considered."

Tony smirked, his eyes sparkling with boyish pride. "Yeah?" he said.

Pepper giggled and nodded. " _Yes_ _,"_ she admitted. "Don't look now, but I think you might _actually_ be turning a corner, Stark," she teased.

Tony chuckled at her teasing him, and Pepper chuckled back as they gazed into each other's eyes in admiration.

She then gave him a sheepish look. "I'm sorry to have killed the mood, by the way. I just thought it was only right to tell you what was going on before we went any further. I couldn't keep it from you, in good conscience, Tony," she explained.

He smiled graciously. "I know, Pep. And, while I'm not happy about hearing you might be leaving me _.._ us...the... _company,"_ he quickly corrected. "I appreciate you letting me know, all the same." he said.

Pepper smiled. "I have to admit, I came here thinking it would be very awkward between us, or _worse,_ I would have a fight on my hands," she admitted.

Tony looked at her curiously. "A _fight?_ Pepper, I've never said you were _wrong_ to leave," he reminded her. "I didn't _like_ it, obviously. But I didn't think you were _wrong."_

"I know, but..." she paused, trying to find the words. "I didn't want to walk in here, and immediately start fighting with you. There was enough of that, back _then._ But, as much as I didn't want that to happen, it did anyway, because I was feeling so defensive, and on edge. So,..." she said with hesitation. "I'm... _sorry._ For the things I said after I got here. What's done is done. There's no use bringing it up, now. It's not like we can go back and fix it," she said.

" _Yet._ But, I'll let you know as soon as I figure out time travel," Tony joked.

Pepper laughed. "Well, until _then,"_ she replied, smiling. "All we can do is press on. In whatever way that may be."

Tony smiled and nodded in agreement. "There _is_ one thing I'd like, though," he said.

She looked at him curiously.

"Can I get that apology in writing? I'm thinking of having it framed. It's such a rare occurrence- _you_ apologizing to _me_ , though you've got _nothing_ to apologize for, as far as I'm concerned. _S_ _till,_ I'd like to have something to remember it by. For posterity's sake, anyway," he stated, trying to keep a straight face.

Pepper chuckled at him teasing her, and Tony chuckled back. "Alright, smart guy," she muttered. "That's enough of that."

Tony chuckled again, and leaned in to peck her lips. Pepper kissed him lovingly.

When the kiss broke, Tony spoke again. "I mean it, though. I don't blame you for feeling defensive. We haven't seen each other in a long time. And, considering everything that's happened, it was bound to be at least a _little_ awkward. Right?"

Pepper nodded, and then let out a heavy sigh. "Still, I shouldn't have attacked you like that. I was motivated purely by assumption and outward appearances. And you didn't deserve it. I needed to at least hear you out. It was unfair of me to come at you the way that I did."

"Pepper, listen to me," Tony said, taking her hands in his. "I _get_ why you said what you said. And you weren't wrong for saying it, honey. I didn't think that before, and I don't think that now. I asked a lot of you for a lot of years, and I know I couldn't keep that going forever. I just never _really_ had a way out that would work for us until now. That's the _only_ reason why I couldn't keep the promises I'd made you. I swear. It wasn't because I didn't _want_ to."

"I never expected you to stop everything and just walk away, Tony," Pepper murmured softly. "I just hated having to constantly watch you run head long into situations that could ultimately cost you your life. I didn't want to be a _widow._ " Her chin began to quiver, and she bit her lip as her eyes began to well with tears. She shifted her gazed downward."There had to come a point when that wasn't asked of you, anymore," she said.

"Pepper," Tony said. "We're _at_ that point, _now._ "

Pepper flicked her eyes back up to his, and studied his face. Tony smiled, as he watched the gears in her mind turn in realization.

"I want so badly to believe you," she whispered.

Tony brought up a hand to wipe a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb. "There will be plenty of time for that, Pep," he murmured in reply. "That _is_ , unless you move to _Japan,"_ he said, looking at her pointedly.

Pepper furrowed her brow, the gears turning in her mind with the implications of what it would mean for them, now that Tony had told her of the changes that were taking place. It was a lot to consider, she had to admit.

She sighed heavily, suddenly feeling the weight of the situation lower onto her shoulders. She looked around for a moment before bringing her eyes back to his. "You know, maybe I _should_ go home tonight, after all," she said.

Tony frowned. "What? Why?" he asked.

"I really _do_ have some things I should attend to," she replied. "But I could come back in a couple of days? When we can spend some more time together?"

Tony gave her a disappointed look, but then nodded in reluctance. "Yeah, okay. Whatever you think, Pep. I'll, uh, I'll walk you out," he offered, suddenly regretting his remarks about the Fujikawa offer.

They turned to go, and Pepper followed him to the door. But before Tony opened it, he hesitated, furrowing his brow in thought.

"Tony?" Pepper softly asked. "Is something wrong?"

He turned to look at her, working his jaw thoughtfully for a moment before he spoke. " _Screw it_ ," he said finally, with definitive resolution. "You're staying tonight. I _need_ you," he hurriedly insisted, before crashing their lips together. Pepper jolted in surprise at his bold move, but soon melted into this embrace, allowing him to envelope her in his arms as he fervently kissed her. They remained that way for several moments, until the kiss began to wind down, and they eventually broke apart, resting their foreheads on one another, the both of them panting.

"What brought _this_ on?" Pepper asked breathlessly, not able to help smiling softly. "What changed your mind?"

Tony took up her hands in his, and brought them to his chest. He lifted his head and looked deeply into her eyes. "If you take that job, then that means I only have so much time before there's a good chance I won't see you again. Or, at least, for a very long time," he explained.

"Oh, _Tony,_ " Pepper murmured sympathetically, the sincerity in his voice yanking on her heart strings.

"So, I'm not going to let a single moment we have together pass without making it memorable. For the _both_ of us," he resolved.

A soft, appreciative smile slowly spread across Pepper's lips in reply, and she nodded her head, conceding. "Okay," she whispered.

Tony grinned. "Okay, you'll stay?" he asked hopefully.

She smirked at him. "With an argument like _that_ , do I have a choice?" she teased.

Tony chuckled, and pecked her lips. " _Always,_ " he purred, his eyes dancing with a mischievous sparkle. "But I gotta say, Potts. You're not doing a hell of a lot to oppose me right now, either."

Pepper giggled. She leaned back in, bringing their lips back together. Tony smiled, kissing her lovingly again for a moment, before leaving to plant soft, tender kisses down her neck. She lightly entangled her fingers in his hair and lolled her head back in response, closing her eyes as she savored his affection. " _Yes,_ Tony," she breathed wantonly in his ear, her desire quickly growing. "Oh, _God,_ yes."

Tony smiled to himself at the fact that he still could turn her on just as well as he ever could, and brought his lips back up to hers once again as he brought his fingers up to work the buttons on her blouse, nimbly popping each of them open, one by one.

XxXxXxXxXx

It had been only a few short hours since Pepper had agreed to stay over. Night was beginning to fall, she'd noticed, as she gazed out of the floor-to-ceiling window in Tony's bedroom, wrapped in the long, black silk robe she'd found on the back of the bathroom door. The collar was draped loosely around her shoulders. She was feeling quite warm, and she would have gone without any covering at _all,_ if she was certain she could have gotten away with it. _It's probably just a product of afterglow,_ she thought. At least, that's what she was trying to convince herself of. And it was true, in part. But it was not what was entirely responsible for her current body temperature. And this was why she quietly left Tony in bed, softly dozing, soon after they'd made love- so she'd have time to cool down before he could suspect anything was off with her.

She'd been experiencing periods of time when she could barely maintain a normal temperature, and it usually occurred after she'd been under stress (no wonder why it was happening now), or physical exertion (a double whammy in this case). It had been happening more and more frequently lately, which increasingly worried her- enough, anyway, to not _entirely_ regret having had to come there that day, among other reasons. She needed to talk to Tony because the symptoms had started to return, and she couldn't ignore them anymore. She needed his help, now that she knew he didn't hate her for what had happened between them. _But all_ _in good time,_ she reasoned. _No use piling it on it him all at once. For now, I'll just stick to us enjoying the moment._

She'd focused on watching the late evening sun start to fade over the treeline at the edge of the grounds, bathing everything in a soft pink light for quite some time until it had gradually changed to a muted purple to welcome the twilight hours. She found that, in these instances where the symptoms resurfaced, it helped if she spent some time alone in a quiet location to collect herself, and this peaceful place was proving to be just the ticket at the moment. But there had been a few times in recent memory when time alone in a quiet place just hadn't done the trick.

This took her mind back to when it first occurred- or rather, when it had _reoccurred_ for the first time. It had come as a complete surprise to her, as she and Tony, both, had thought he'd put her condition into remission for good. And it couldn't have come at a worse time, in her mind...

 _There was a soft evening breeze blowing off the ocean that night. The sky was crystal clear, and it seemed like there were a million sparkling stars out. To any onlooker, it was a perfectly enchanting setting._

 _Tony had planned a romantic dinner on the beach near their house just before sunset, and Pepper had thought it was simply for their anniversary they'd be celebrating. And it was, to a point. But, until this moment, she'd had no clue he had also planned to ask her to marry him, as well._

 _As the night had progressed, they'd enjoyed their dinner as they fell into pleasant conversation. And, after, Tony had pulled her into his arms for a little dancing under the stars. They were having a perfectly wonderful time, celebrating another year together in love. But the atmosphere had quickly changed as_ _Pepper now stood in front of Tony, completely speechless and wide eyed. He was gazing up at her, from his position on bended knee, holding a black velvet ring box in his hand, opened to display a large, platinum, Solitaire diamond ring, and eagerly awaiting her answer to the question he'd just asked._

 _"Tony," she began, her throat suddenly parched and cutting off her words._

 _"I KNOW it seems kinda out of the blue, Pep. But we HAVE talked about it in the past, and...I just feel like it's the right move for us, now, you know?" he explained._

 _But Pepper frowned in disagreement. "Yes, I know we've TALKED about it. As in, we've talked about how it's something to think about for the future! But certainly not NOW," she replied. She huffed with exasperation. "Are you kidding me?! Why on EARTH would we choose NOW, of all times, to get married?" she argued, getting more and more agitated as she spoke._

 _Tony frowned, taken aback by her unexpected reaction, and abruptly stood up. He snapped the ring box shut in a huff, and then looked at her in confusion. "So, it would be a long engagement, then. So what? People do it all the time," he retorted. "Tell me, again, WHY this is such a horrible idea?!"_

 _Pepper scoffed. "You can NOT be serious!" she cried. "Fine! Let's say I say yes, and we have that long engagement! Hmmm? How long WOULD it be? Any guesses? How long would it be until it becomes clear to the BOTH of us that we'll NEVER get married?"_

 _Tony startled at her grim assessment. "What are you talking about?! We'd get married!" he argued defensively._

 _"Oh?! In WHAT?! Two years? Five years? Ten?" Pepper countered. "How can you POSSIBLY say with certainty that it would even HAPPEN?"_

 _Tony looked at her with sudden realization of what she'd been trying to get at. "Wait, back up," he said. "This isn't like all of those other times where things fell through on us, okay? Mark my words," he assured her._

 _Pepper just frowned at him. "From where I'm standing, this is EXACTLY like all of those other times," she said sadly._

 _Tony physically flinched at the bite in her words._

 _But Pepper ignored it. "Besides. With the current state of things, what gives you ANY indication we're even REMOTELY ready for this, anyway?" she asked._

 _Tony regathered his resolve to respond. "Uh, we LIVE together, for starters?" he argued. "We've been a couple for a few years now? We know each others patterns, idiosyncrasies...I don't know! I guess I just assumed it was the next logical..."_

 _"Yes! For any normal couple, yes! It's ABSOLUTELY logical!" Pepper exclaimed, interrupting him. "But we definitely AREN'T that! In fact, we are FAR from logical! We are FAR from normal! We're...we're..." she stammered._

 _Tony just looked at her silently, expectantly._

 _But Pepper suddenly withdrew, and her expression went from one of vehemence to bleak realization. "Doomed," she murmured hopelessly._

 _Tony squinted in bemusement. "I'm sorry?" he said, turning his ear in her direction. "Did...did you just say we're...'doomed'?" he asked, looking at her in disbelief._

 _Pepper bit her lips together, and winced. But slowly, she began to nod in the affirmative. "Yes," she murmured weakly._

 _Tony grimaced with disdain. "Seems a tad dramatic," he muttered._

 _Pepper rolled her eyes, and gave an exasperated sigh. "Well, dramatic or NOT, it's the truth, Tony," she stated, folding her arms indignantly._

 _Tony closed his eyes, and shook his head. "Pepper. Wait. Hold on," he said, trying to regroup._

 _"No, it's clear now," she said, denying him the opportunity to finish his thought. "How can we move forward when NOTHING has changed? Face it. We're stuck. We've BEEN stuck. And we're going to continue to BE stuck in this endless state of...of limbo. Forever. Whether or not I'm wearing that ring. So, why prolong the inevitable? Why not just cut our losses, and..."_

 _"No," Tony warned, shaking his head. "Don't do this. Please, Pepper. Let's mull this over, first, huh? Give it some time?" he begged desperately, trying to fight the fact that, among other things, the perfect evening he'd tried to create for them was quickly morphing into something nightmarish, instead._

 _Pepper shrugged in defeat. "What is there left to mull over?" she replied in regret. "And we've given it plenty of time. Years, in fact."_

 _"Please, Pepper," Tony pleaded, his voice a hushed whisper. "Please," he said again._

 _And there was that look- that mix of shock and raw ache in his eyes that shot straight through her core, and made her briefly, involuntarily, halt her words. T_ _heir love for each other would never die. That much was true. But the idea that they'd be able to build a life together, as it stood in the real world currently, was quickly fading._ _And he could really see no way around that fact. He'd refused to follow through on their compromises, and, instead, managed to compound their problems significantly, time and time again- the latest example being the destruction caused by Ultron. It was enough for her to realize that she'd forever be looking over her shoulder, waiting for the next storm on the horizon, the next global catastrophe- coupled with the very real possibility that he wouldn't survive it, or they'd come for her, too, to be used as leverage against him. And with Tony always so eager to throw himself into the fight at the drop of a hat, she had begun to feel more and more like she'd been relegated to being the clean up crew, as Tony's focus always seemed solely fixed on the next mission, the next plan of attack, the next fight. And how could a marriage be built on that kind of constant unease?_

 _To be clear, after he'd announced to the world, "I am Iron Man," she hadn't expected that the journey would come to an end anytime soon. And it was obvious she'd been more than willing at that point, and for years after, to support his efforts to protect the world. But, as the years rolled by, and they talked more and more about having a life together, away from Stark Industries, and away from the peril and pitfalls involved with being Iron Man, she could see it was never going to happen so long as he always kept one foot in the fray. And, in all honesty, she couldn't necessarily blame him for wanting to be involved. She knew he loved it, to say the least. And, even after everything, she still found him to be every bit as brave and as noble as the first time she saw him in the suit. But, at the time, the choice was either he give his life to her, or give his life to being Iron Man. There WAS no happy medium. There_ _WAS no_ _compromise._

 _Even though this had been apparent to her for quite some time, she had pushed it out of her mind, and been content enough to keep moving their plans back, hoping the promises he'd made her would eventually be kept. That was, until THAT night, when suddenly everything she'd been in denial about was forced to the forefront._

 _Tony proposing to her at that point in time, when still so much chaos consumed their lives, and their safety and security still constantly hung by a thin thread, made it seem like all of their plans were just a fantasy. An illusion, keeping them locked in a dream that was destined to never come true. Not in the way she needed it to- the way they BOTH needed it to- anyway. She felt naive, now, for ever believing it could. And sad that, even after all that time, Tony still didn't understand what it was going to take for their future together to succeed._

 _We were BOTH naive, she thought. Fooling ourselves into thinking this could work. You should have listened to your gut. You KNEW you'd one day have to lose him to that suit. Whether it was by death, or dissolution, you knew it was going to happen. And here you are._

 _With that, Pepper decided there was no turning back. It was time to do what had to be done. So she_ _took a deep breath, and braced herself. "I'm sorry, Tony," she said. "I'm so sorry. I DO love you. I'll ALWAYS love you. I hope you know that."_

 _"But?" Tony said weakly, obviously guessing what was coming next._

 _Pepper pursed her lips. "But, clearly, you and I have VERY different ideas of what it means to be ready for marriage," she said. "I guess I just didn't want to admit it until now. But if this is where we ARE, then..."_

 _"We're at an impasse," Tony finished glumly._

 _They gazed silently at each other, their eyes filled with the painful sting of being faced with having to so abruptly conclude their romance._

 _After several moments, Pepper broke first, and slowly walked back to where Tony was standing. He numbly watched as she approached, completely deflated of the hope he'd only moments ago held for them. When she came to a stop in front of him, they continued to hold their gaze in silence, until she slowly raised her chin, and place her lips upon his with a lingering, mournful kiss._

 _For a moment, he didn't reciprocate, keeping his eyes opened and watching her as she had hers closed to kiss him. But then he found it impossible to resist what he realized could be their final kiss, and admitted to himself he'd forever regret it if he didn't kiss her back. So he closed his eyes, and gave in, kissing her passionately back. His mind instantly, frantically, tried to memorize the feel of her lips on his, the nearness of her warmth, and the taste of her mouth._

 _He noticed a small sob choke out of her throat, and he wrapped his arms around her, as a last attempt to soothe her in this raw, pain-soaked moment. Pepper, in kind, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him closer to her, before the kiss gradually wound down to a full stop. They rested their foreheads against one another, and looked at each other forlornly, the hurt palpable between them._

 _"I'm gonna miss you," Tony whispered, his eyes glassy with emotion._

 _Pepper closed her eyes, allowing her tears to squeeze out and run down her cheeks for a moment, before she pulled back to look at him. She gave him an empathetic smile, and nodded, swiping gently at her tear-stained cheeks. "I'll miss you,too," she replied. "But it's for the best. As much as it hurts, it's..."_

 _"I know," Tony agreed, nodding. His eyes welled even more, and he stepped back, and away, from her. "As much as it hurts," he admitted, his voice faltering._

 _Pepper had tried to hold what was left of her composure, but it became too overwhelming when she heard the pain in his voice. She involuntarily let out another choked sob, and brought a fist to her mouth, swallowing hard as the tears began to fall freely now. "I should go," she said. "I think I just...need a little space tonight, if that's alright."_

 _Tony nodded weakly in understanding._

 _"Thank you, by the way, for...well," she said, in an awkward stammer. "It really WAS lovely. I really DID appreciate everything you..."_

 _"You...don't have to do that, Pep," Tony replied despondently. "Really. Just..." his voice trailed off, and he noticeably swallowed hard, dropping his eyes to the ground in front of him._

 _Pepper nodded in agreement, before_ _she swiveled on her heels and turned her back to him to leave_ _. The wind had picked up in those last few minutes, though neither of them had noticed, and she felt a few rain drops hit her bare shoulders. But when they hit, she thought it strange she didn't feel their chill. In fact, she felt no moisture at all. It was almost as if they'd evaporated the second they'd hit her skin._

 _And as she walked up the beach and back in the direction their house, putting more and more distance between herself and where she'd left Tony, the more she could feel her skin begin to tingle, and burn..._

Pepper's recollection of that night was interrupted by the feeling of Tony's arms wrapping around her from behind. She smiled, and lolled her head back against his shoulder, as he planted a gentle kiss to her temple, and then gently brushed her hair aside to trail his lips across the top of her shoulder.

"For a minute there, I was afraid I was a foregone conclusion," he murmured jokingly.

Pepper chuckled, and slowly turned around to face him, noticing he was shirtless and wearing black sweats with a white stripe up the side, on the bottom. He smiled widely at her and bent to swiftly capture her lips in a kiss. And she let him, grateful her temperature had come down enough to not immediately alarm him.

However, as the kiss dwindled, he slowly pulled away, and looked at her with a frown. "You feel alright?" he asked. He studied her face. "You look a little flushed."

Pepper just dismissed his concern with a smile, and shrugged. "Afterglow?" she suggested, nonchalantly.

Tony looked at her skeptically, but then smiled, chuckling. "O- _kay,_ " he replied. "I knew it was _good,_ but, apparently, I didn't know _how_ good," he joked, cocking an eyebrow.

Pepper chuckled back. "Well, what can I say? Obviously, you out-did yourself, Stark," she teased.

Tony cooed in approval. "Well, it helps when you have a very _capable_ partner," he teased back. Pepper smiled bashfully in reply as he bent down for another kiss. Then he rested his forehead on hers, and they smiled sweetly at each other.

She ran the tip of her pointer finger over the round scar on his chest in thought, and then turned her head to look back outside.

Tony watched her do this, enjoying her gentle touch, and then flicked his eyes outside as well. "Enjoying the view?" he asked.

Pepper nodded. "I _was._ It's very peaceful here," she commented. She rested her hands on his chest, and Tony turned his head to look outside as well.

"Little different than the bright lights of the big city, huh?" he replied.

"Mmm hmm," Pepper said in agreement. "It's hard to remember the world isn't all hustle and bustle until you spend time in a place like _this_."

"I know what you mean," Tony replied. "Can't say I haven't caught myself staring out the window at the scenery, lost in thought, a few times since I've been here."

"Oh?" Pepper cooed. "And what occupied your thoughts, dare I ask?"

" _You,"_ Tony frankly admitted, without hesitation. "Among a few other things, naturally. But, _mainly,_ you."

Pepper gave him a knowing smirk. "And what _about_ me? _"_ she asked softly.

Tony smirked mischievously back. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know," he purred.

They chuckled at each other deviously. But then he went back to gazing into Pepper's eyes. "Besides the tawdry fantasy of you being here with me, and us going _crazy_ on each other- which, _thank you,_ by the way, for fulfilling..." he said.

"You're _most welcome_ ," Pepper interjected, with a smile.

Tony smiled back, and then continued. "I...thought about what I needed to _do,_ you know? To get you back. _"_

 _"_ Tony," Pepper warned.

"I meant _every_ _word_ of what I said before, honey," he assured her earnestly. "You know I want a life with you. And I'll be damned if I let that dream _die_ without a _fight._ "

Pepper smiled, and cupped his cheek, gazing into his eyes lovingly. "I want that, _too._ But I'm sure I don't have to remind you of my reservations."

Tony nodded. "You don't, you're right," he answered. "I get it. Promises, _my_ promises, in particular, make you nervous."

"You could say that," she said, with a soft smirk.

"That's why I have a proposition of my own to make to you," he said.

Pepper cocked her head, and looked at him curiously. "What is it?" she asked.

"If it isn't too much to ask, Pep," he said carefully. "Give me..." he said, pausing to mull over his offer in his head. "3 months..." he said finally.

Pepper scoffed. "3 _months?!_ " she exclaimed. "Tony?! What company is going to wait _3 months_ for an answer to a potential job offer?"

He frowned. "Eight weeks, then! Come on, Pep! Two months? Give me two months to show you I'm not blowing smoke," he begged.

" _Six_ weeks," she said. "And normally, that would be pushing it. But the only reason _why_ I'm even considering it is because Fujikawa said they won't make their final decision until then."

Tony huffed. "Fine, I'll take it," he said begrudgingly. "Six weeks to prove it's worth it to have me back in your life."

Pepper looked at him with sympathy. "Oh, _Tony,_ " she murmured. "We've gone through too much for you _not_ to be a part of my life, no matter _where_ I am. But I just have to know if it's safe for us to be together. If it's for _real,_ this time."

Tony nodded. "I know. And all I can say is, it _is._ You'll see," he assured her.

Pepper nodded back. "I hope _so._ I _really_ do," she murmured. She gave him a soft, hopeful smile, and Tony smiled back. Then suddenly, Pepper's face fell and her eyes widened.

He frowned, noticing the sudden change in her expression. "Pep? You okay?" he asked.

Her breathing became ragged, and her body began to tremble.

Tony's eyes widened at what he was seeing happen in front of him. "What's happening to you, Pepper? Talk to me!" he begged, desperately. He watched in horror as her skin started to warp and char, like she was made of driftwood, and had been tossed on to an open flame to burn. Immediately, the smoke alarms sounded, and the emergency sprinklers went off, instantly dousing them both. The smell of burnt fabric and melted carpet filled the air, as his robe disintegrated off her body into cinder, and a burnt circle appeared on the floor where she stood.

"Pepper?!" he cried out, in the din.

But she was helpless to speak. All she could do was stare at him, with piercing, red-as-flame, eyes, and gritted teeth.

However, in one quick moment, everything halted. Her skin stopped glowing like lava, and went back to normal. Her eyes went from fiery red to their crystal clear blue. And Pepper immediately heaved a heavy sigh.

" _There_ we go," Tony said, smiling in relief that she'd come out of it. "What the hell was..."

But she had no time to respond. Her eyes rolled back, and she suddenly fell faint, almost collapsing to the floor. Tony had seen this, and acted quickly to catch her. He then fell to the ground on his knees, holding her tightly in his arms. He instantly checked her neck for a pulse, and didn't immediately detect one. "FRIDAY! VITALS!" he barked skyward, panicked.

"A pulse is detected in Ms. Potts, Sir," the AI answered. "And her breathing is normal."

"Thank _God,_ " Tony replied, exhaling heavily in relief.

 _Where did this come from? What the hell is going on here?,_ he wondered. "Come on, baby, wake up," he pleaded, his eyes studying her as he brushed her soaking wet hair from her face. "Please, Pep. Wake up," he begged again.

But she remained unresponsive, as the shrill shriek of the fire alarms continued to ring in his ears, and the sprinklers relentlessly continued to rain down on them as he held her.


	3. Chapter 3

**It's been a stretch between updates, and I apologize! But I had some very good reasons. 1) I'm trying to slow down and be more thorough in hopes of delivering better reading material to my wonderfully loyal readers, like you! And 2) Majorly unexpected household repairs, and a CRAZY work life lately have lessened my opportunities for moments of reckless abandon in front of my computer, typing away to my little heart's content. SO, without further ado, happy reading (I hope you like it!) and thank you, thank you, thank you, for your continuing support, and feedback! Love you guys! And Happy Friday! :D**

 _Pepper had stepped onto the very outer edge of the concrete pool deck, once she'd crested the hill above the beach, just as her skin had begun to erupt with an all-too-familiar red-hot glow. She raised her arms in front of her to watch in disbelief as it happened. "No," she begged. "Please, no. Not NOW. Not TONIGHT!"_

 _But it was no use. Extremis had apparently been laying dormant in her system up to that point, ready for the right opportunity to relapse._

 _She turned to look over her shoulder, wondering if Tony could see what was happening from where she'd left him on the beach. But there was no indication he had. For a brief second, she considered running back in his direction for help. However, the thought had suddenly occurred to her that, because the symptoms had come on so rapidly, this had the potential to be one of those instances where she'd be putting herself, and him, in grave danger._

 _Then, there's no time, she resolved._

 _So she turned back around, trying to figure another solution, when her eyes then fell on the pool, not ten feet away. Hoping for the best, and without hesitation, she took off running, launching herself off the edge of the deck, and cannon-balling into the deep end, letting her body sink as far down into the water as possible. A giant plume of steam instantly rose up from the surface, and she watched the water bubble and boil around her as she sank. Soon, her skin cooled, and returned back to normal, much to her relief. Then, she kicked back to the surface, gasping for breath as soon as she reached it, and swimming for the edge, hoisting her now exhausted body up onto the deck. She collapsed heavily, her limbs feeling like lead weights. She felt dizzy, and disoriented. She could easily have stayed there, on the cement, and gone to sleep where she lay, leaving her legs to dangle limply in the water. The cool night air soon began to bite her skin, and she realized she could once again feel the chill of the raindrops, falling a little heavier now around her..._

 _XxXxXxXxXx_

 _Tony stayed glued to where he stood on the sand, as he helplessly watched Pepper walk away from him, out of sight, and into the darkness. Already, he ached with the need to have her back in his arms, even just that soon after she'd left. He suddenly felt starved for her affection, and at the same time, completely eviscerated._

 _Is it over? Are we REALLY over?, his mind cruelly asked him over and over again, like a skipping recording. He jammed his hands in his pants pockets, and turned his eyes back out toward the water, as his thoughts enshrouded him, much like the gathering clouds of the impending rainstorm._

 _His fingers fiddled absently with the box holding Pepper's engagement ring in his pocket. It belonged to HER. Regardless of what she'd said, this was meant to be HER ring, he thought. But not just because of the usual reasons any man proposing to the woman he intended to marry would cite. It had been his mother's engagement ring, given to her, of course, by his father, which was given to him by HIS mother to give to his future wife, and so on, passed down through the generations. Settings had been changed over the years to accommodate the style of the times, but the large round-cut diamond had been the same stone given to every prospective Stark bride. And he vividly remembered his mother's words the day she gave it to him._

 _"Give this only to the woman you find worthy enough to wear it," she'd instructed. "The one you know in your heart to be the one you can't live without." At the time, he was only 18, and detested even the mere idea of marriage, so he'd accepted the ring only to appease his mother's intentions. And, decades later, with still no marital prospects, and hardly any interest in searching for one, Tony had resigned himself to the fact that the tradition would probably just die quietly with him._

 _But then came Pepper._

 _And as the years passed by, on the odd occasion when he knew she was no where in sight, and he stood no risk of being caught in his sentimentality, he'd pulled it out to look at it, wondering if maybe, just MAYBE, this family heirloom might once again serve its rightful purpose._

 _"I guess that answers that," he bitterly muttered to himself this night, callously dragging his mind back to the grim reality. H_ _e yanked the box back out of his pocket again, and popped it open, staring at the ring now as if it were some bizarre creature he'd just discovered. Then he snapped it closed once more, and gripped it tightly. He gritted his teeth, and his mouth turned down in a menacing frown, as he raised his arm up over his head and back behind him, ready to fling the box, and the ring tucked inside it, away into the ocean forever..._

 _XxXxXxXxXx_

 _Pepper decided that, with the oncoming rain, it would be best to seek shelter. So, after much effort, she managed to muster enough strength to lumber clumsily to a standing position, though she almost toppled over as her head continued to spin. She grasped the backs of the pool-side lounge chairs to steady herself as she made a path for the patio door a few feet away, moving carefully and deliberately._

 _Once she got their, she worked to pull it open, having to heave it back in her exhausted state with great effort, and forward to close it again once she'd entered. She was dripping, now, on the marble-tiled floor and left a watery trail in her wake as she eased herself across the living room to the stairs, gripping the hand railing tightly with both hands as she ascended, step by step, to the master bedroom._

 _Once she eventually reached the top, she made her way through their bedroom and into the bathroom, where she slowly, almost robotically, stripped down out of her dress, scorch marks covering it like a bizarre pox, leaving it crumpled in a pile at her feet. She grasped the edge of the counter and harshly kicked it aside, before unsnapping the hooks of her bra, and peeling that and her soaked underwear from her body, also badly scorched. Those, too, got flung away, and Pepper paused for a moment to stare at her naked reflection in the mirror, taking in the effects of all that had happened in the last hour._

 _Her hair hung in stringy, wet ropes around her shoulders as she began to shiver, noting the irony that her body was covered in goosebumps now, when just moments ago, she was as hot as a torch, and that same skin was blistering from the heat. She leaned forward to study her face, the person staring back almost foreign to her in appearance. Her skin had gone pale_ _, her face gaunt, and her eye sockets were blackened with the remnants of heavily smudged mascara and eyeliner. But what startled her the most was that her gaze appeared hollow and soulless, as if she'd risen from the dead and stood before the mirror now in all her ghastliness. This leveled her, as the thoughts of what put that despondence in her eyes came rushing back. She and Tony were done. Finished. The day she'd dreaded, and tried so hard to deny would ever happen had finally come to pass, leaving a gaping hole in her gut. Her limbs tingled, not just with the after-effects of the sudden Extremis flare-up, but with sheer emotional shock. The pit of her stomach burned with a helpless ache, causing her to grip her middle as her resolve gave way, and her shoulders began to shake uncontrollably. Her face contorted in raw agony, and she slowly turned around to lean against the vanity for support. Hot, bitter tears burned her eyes without mercy before they poured down her cheeks, unrelenting. She felt her knees buckle, and she slumped helplessly to the floor, her crying turning from soft, desperate moans to full-on anguished sobs._

 _She could hear her voice echo off the bathroom walls, the choked distortion sounding animal-like in her ears. She instantly covered her face with her hands to muffle it, should Tony come home and hear her. But then it occurred to her, that should he find her in this state at ALL, it would only further the emotional hell in which they_ _both found themselves currently. He couldn't see her like this. She didn't WANT him to see her like this. For BOTH of their sakes._

 _Pepper worked quickly to regain her composure. "Stop this._ _Get a hold of yourself,_ _" she scolded out loud, and hastily swiped at her tears. She peeled her body off the floor, and walked with measured steps into the bedroom closet to find something suitable to cover herself in. She grabbed a pair of yoga pants, and a t-shirt, and quickly threw them on. Then she walked back into the bathroom, and looked in the mirror again, noticing the tear-stains that were still evident on her cheeks. She hurriedly turned on the cold water in the sink, and splashed it on her face, vigorously scrubbing the smeared makeup from her eyes, before rising back up to check her progress in the mirror. She then turned off the faucet, satisfied with her appearance once again, save for one thing._

 _She reached for her hair brush, and yanked it through her hair a few times. Then she set it back down, and gave herself another once-over. Satisfied, she nodded resolutely. "There," she murmured. She even tried to fake a smile, but it was admittedly weak. "As good as can be expected, I guess," she told herself. Then she spun around, collected her charred clothing off the floor, and left the bathroom, flicking off the light._

 _But, just outside the door, she stopped in her tracks. She knew she was exhausted, yes. But until now, the thought of where to lay her head hadn't crossed her mind until she found herself presently standing square in front of she and Tony's shared, California King-size bed. She stared at it, her insides knotted with conflict, and feeling like it was almost trying to tempt her in that moment, while also mocking her at the same time. "No," she murmured, shaking her head. The smell of Tony's scent in the sheets and on his pillow would only serve to torment her further, she decided._

 _Let HIM have the bed. I might as well get used to not spending any more time in it, she thought sadly._

 _And with that, before she could change her mind, she walked briskly to snatch up her pillow, and marched downstairs._

 _Once she reached the living room, she threw it down on the sofa, and strode into the kitchen to dispose of her burnt clothing. She almost walked away after depositing them in the waste bin, but realized they'd be evidence for Tony to find if left there. So she quickly cinched up the bag, and walked it outside to the dumpster, feeling the rain fall on her already wet hair and chilled skin. Little polka-dots of moisture formed on her clothes as she walked back to the house. She wondered for a moment if Tony was still on the beach, or where he had gone, since it was starting to rain more heavily now, and there'd been no sign of him. She wondered if he'd even bother to come home at all._

 _Once inside, she walked back into the living room and sat on the sofa heavily. She looked around her, the distraction of her recent chores now drifting away, and her raw emotion quickly returning once more in the stillness of the house. The sudden weight of her loneliness overcame her, and tears welled in her eyes with a ruthless burn once more. She bit her lip helplessly, as they spilled over onto her cheeks._

 _"Rest," she murmured, trying her hardest to hold it together. "That's what I need right now. Some rest." So she moved to lay down, pulling her knees up to her chest, and closing her eyes. She tried to concentrate on slowing her breathing, as she feared having another Extremis flare-up if she didn't, considering her fragile emotional state. But, luckily, and mostly because of pure exhaustion, it_ _didn't take long before she was able to drift off to sleep..._

 _XxXxXxXxXx_

 _Tony took a deep breath, preparing to fling the ring away once and for all. But for all of his bluster, he hesitated, flinching a couple of times, stunting the attempts to chuck it as hard as he could into the water before he finally_ _realized he just couldn't do it. Even now, as it would seem all was lost between he and Pepper, he just. Couldn't. Do it._

 _So, instead he squeezed the box cruelly in the palm of his hand and let out a primeval, anguished growl into the night, simultaneously collapsing onto his knees, his breath ragged as it heaved in his chest._

 _"Damn it!"_ _he grunted, shaking_ _. "_ _God_ _DAMN_ _it!_ _What the HELL was I thinking?!_ "

 _Like an answer from the cosmos, a bolt of lightning flashed out over the water before him, and a loud clap of thunder boomed over head, vibrating him in his bones in reply. He startled at the occurrence and quickly got to his feet, his eyes wide._

 _He flicked them skyward, and searched the heavens, unable to keep from taking this as some kind of sign he needed to stop his grumbling. He swallowed hard, and nodded in compliance. "Okay," he said to whatever ethereal presence may have been in his midst,_ _putting both hands up in surrender_ _. "Okay, I get it. I'll cool my jets. Don't get touchy."_ _He then shoved the ring box back into his pocket, and began to march down the waterline in the direction of home._

 _After he'd come over the hill,_ _Tony had seen that some of lights in the house had been turned on, and a small sense of relief coursed through him._ _Good,_ _he thought._ _At least I don't have to worry about where she is tonight. He walked across the sprawling back yard to the patio door, his clothes thoroughly soaked now, and his body becoming chilled from the heavy rain coming down. He yanked the door open, stepped through, and slid it shut, noticing the master bedroom door was ajar upstairs, but the light was off. He figured Pepper had gone to bed, so he decided he'd spend the night on the couch. They were scheduled to leave in the morning for the presentation they were supposed to give at MIT. But, all things considered, he knew she was probably expecting him to just go without her now._

 _Besides, it will give her her space, and time to cool down._ _Then, maybe we can rethink what's happened, and patch things up when I come back, he thought hopefully._

 _"FRIDAY?" he called out. "Set a wake up for me for..." he started to say, as he rounded the couch, only to find Pepper sound asleep on it._

 _He stopped in his tracks, instantly silenced, and a little startled to see her there. Then a smile involuntarily crept across his lips. She looked completely at ease, as if she had just fallen asleep simply waiting for him to come home. He ran his eyes over her body. She was clutching her pillow, and had her knees pulled up to her chest. But as he looked closer, he noticed she was wearing a worn, navy blue t-shirt with familiar lettering on the front reading "Led Zepplin."_

 _Tony smiled to himself in surprise. Well, I'll be damned, he thought._

 _"You know I never mind it when you borrow my stuff, Pep. Especially not tonight," he murmured to her softly,_ _before the_ _reality of their relationship ending suddenly gripped his heart again, making the corners of his mouth turn down._

 _He quickly swiveled around, before any tears had a chance to well, and his eyes searched for the big, woven basket where Pepper kept some blankets they'd used during the times when they'd snuggled on the couch to watch t.v. together in the past. When he'd spotted it, he walked briskly over to retrieve a tan-colored, suede throw off the top of the pile, and shook it out in front of him. Then he walked back over to Pepper, and delicately laid it over her body so as not to disturb her._

 _Despite his best efforts, however, she began to squirm. He held his breath, and watched her with trepidation, afraid he'd been made. But she stayed asleep, moaning appreciatively while snuggling further into her spot on the couch, and then settling back into her slumber. Tony gave a silent sigh of relief, but stayed where he stood for a moment longer, realizing that on any other night, he would have picked her up, taken her upstairs to their room, and climb into bed with her to hold her close until they both had fallen asleep._

 _In all actuality, we should be upstairs right now,_ _making love and_ _celebrating our engagement, he mused bitterly. So much for fulfilling expectations._

 _He shoved his hands back into his pockets in defeat, and fiddled absently with the ring box once more. Then, he took a deep breath, and nodded to himself in acceptance of their current, and very unfortunate, circumstances in which they'd found themselves._ _"Goodnight, Pep," he murmured finally, as he made his way to the staircase, and trudged upstairs. "Sweet dreams, honey."_

XxXxXxXxXx

Pepper slowly awakened to find herself in a hospital gown, lying in a hospital _bed_ , with an EKG machine quietly beeping beside it. Tony sat next to her, holding her hand, and watching her intently.

"Hey there, hot stuff," he cooed jokingly, once he saw she was starting to wake up. A loving, and relieved, smile spread across his lips.

She squinted to look at him, the harshness of the bright lights above hurting her eyes. "I suppose you think that's funny?" she retorted, in good nature. Truth be told, she was glad to find she'd made it through the Extremis episode in tact, and to see he'd been there, watching over her, in the process.

Tony shrugged. "I'm just glad to see you're okay," he said, mirroring her thoughts. "You gave me quite a scare, Potts."

"You're not the only one," Pepper replied. She looked around, realizing she was in the compound's infirmary. "How long have I been here?" she asked.

"Not long. About an hour," he said. His eyes suddenly flooded with concern, and he abruptly stood up, turning his back on her for a moment, and then quickly turning to face her again. "When were you going to tell me about this?" he asked with an accusatory tone. " _My_ guess is this isn't the first time this has happened since we've been apart, correct?"

Pepper exhaled. "Boy, you don't waste any time, do you?" she asked rhetorically, her voice defensive in response to his sudden change in demeanor.

"Come _on,_ Pepper. How long has this been going on, huh?" Tony asked, his voice impatient.

Pepper shifted to be able to sit straight up. She looked at him, her lips pursed. "Well, for starters, it came back that night on the beach, after we...after... _what happened_ ," she explained, stammering.

Tony pulled back in alarm, then shook his head in disbelief. "There's no way," he murmured. "How can that _be?_ I saw you asleep on the couch when I came home! You were _fine!_ " he insisted.

Pepper winced. "It certainly _appeared_ that way, yes," she agreed.

"You know you could have told me after the fact, Pepper," he said, walking back over to sit on the edge of the bed beside her. "Even that next _day._ You could have said... _something."_

Pepper pursed her lips, and swallowed hard. She nodded sheepishly. "I... _suppose,_ in hindsight, I should have..." she began.

Tony nodded emphatically. " _Yes,_ " he agreed. "You _should_ have."

Pepper looked at him, and frowned. "Oh, _honestly,_ Tony! Can you _blame_ me?" she asked defensively. "We were both so emotionally raw, at the time. I guess I just was hoping it would go away on its own."

"Not an _excuse,_ " Tony countered firmly, looking up at her. He huffed and stood up abruptly. "Regardless of what was going on, it's just _beyond_ my comprehension why you _wouldn't_ come to me _immediately._ "

Pepper blinked in confusion, as she was taken aback by his annoyance. She quickly climbed out of bed to face him. " _Excuse_ me?! You don't think I wanted to a hundred times?! But it was just too much to take, having to be face to face with you again, so soon after we broke up!"

"We _didn't_ break up. We were _on_ a break. There's a _difference_ ," Tony pointed out sternly, jabbing a finger at her.

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Those are _your_ words. Not _mine,"_ she countered.

He frowned. "I...well, we...," he stammered.

" _Exactly,_ " Pepper replied flatly.

Tony scoffed. "So _what_ then, Pepper?! You'd rather take your chances, and possibly run the risk of _dying,_ than have to endure being in the same _room_ with me for any length of time?! How does that make _any_ sense!" he scolded. He gave her a look of disdain. "It's hypocritical, you ask me," he muttered bitterly.

Her eyes went wide, and her mouth fell agape in disbelief. "Hypo- _critical?!"_ she exclaimed.

Tony spluttered in disgust. "Oh, knock it off, Pepper! I seem to recall getting a similar speech from you when I didn't tell you about the Palladium poisoning all those years ago! Not so fun when the shoe's on the other _foot,_ now, _is it?"_ he spat in retort. He swiveled around to march a few steps away, jamming his hands on his hips.

"Don't _tell_ me to knock it off! And don't be ridiculous! It's _not_ the same situation!" she argued indignantly.

"Yes, it _is!"_ Tony growled, spinning back around to face her.

" _No,_ it _isn't!"_ Pepper growled back. _"_ And why the _hell_ do you think I even had an interest in coming here today?! Because I can't _live_ like this anymore!" she cried desperately. A sob suddenly caught in her chest, and she brought the back of her hand to her mouth.

They both fell silent, staring at each other for a moment, the collective breaths ragged, and heaving. Pepper swallowed hard, and took a deep breath, trying to collect herself, before she spoke again. _"_ I'm scared to _death,_ Tony! And _you're_ the _only_ one who can help!" she murmured, still trembling.

Despite his best efforts to stand his ground, Tony's resolve quickly left at the sight, and he couldn't help but to walk back over to her, pulling her into his arms protectively. Pepper broke down, laying her head on his shoulder and sobbing softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He stroked her hair, and shushed her, trying to calm her down. "Shhhhh. Hey, hey," he murmured to her. "It'll be okay. You did the right thing, alright? I'll fix you up, you know that," he assured her.

"I'm sorry," she replied weakly. She lifted her head to look at him, and he swiped a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, looking intently into her eyes.

"For _what,_ baby?" he asked softly back.

Pepper shook her head. "I didn't mean it. This _wasn't_ the _only_ reason why I wanted to come here," she told him.

" _Believe_ me, I want nothing _more_ than to believe it wasn't the only reason," he replied, smiling hopefully.

"Well, besides it being _required_ for the annual report, I..." she began, exhaling slowly to swallow what was left of her pride. "I really _did_ want to see you, _too_. I may not have wanted to admit it at first, but...I _did."_

A slow, appreciative smile crept across Tony's lips in reply. " _Really?_ " he asked meekly.

Pepper gave him a coy smile. "Yes. Believe it or not," she replied.

They smiled lovingly at each other.

"Then...can I ask you something?" he asked, frowning in curiosity. "If you really wanted to see me, then why all of the avoidance for the last few months? You did everything but hire two Pinkerton guards to stand outside your office door. The _Pope's_ easier to get to than _you_ are these days," he joked.

Pepper chuckled, and then grimaced at his description. "I _know_ , and..."

"I mean, _Jesus._ You were locked up tighter than Fort Knox! Welcome to _Pepper Potts's Impenetrable Fortress of Solitude._..." Tony prattled.

Pepper chuckled again, and held up a hand in surrender. "Alright. Point taken," she replied, with a wry smirk. Then she sighed. "All I can say is, I...needed some more _time,"_ she explained slowly.

"Time," he repeated. He teetered his head from side to side. "Okay, that's fair. Though I can't say it was _fun_ having to wait you out. It was _torturous,_ actually. But, in the end, all that matters is you _missed_ me, right?" he teased.

Pepper giggled, and then smiled lovingly at him. She leaned in and lightly kissed his lips. He kissed her back, and they smiled at each other. "I _did_ miss you, Tony Stark. I really _did,"_ she murmured softly, when the kiss had broken.

Tony grinned, wrapping his arms back around her waist, and gazed into her eyes. "Glad to hear it," he murmured. "Because I missed _you,_ if you couldn't tell," he replied, trying to feign seriousness. "Like _crazy."_

Pepper giggled again, and leaned back in to peck his lips once more. "That _does_ sound _t_ _orturous_ ," she joked back.

Tony chuckled. Then his expression faded to one of concern. "I hate the fact that you went through that attack alone. I should have _been_ there for you, you know? No matter what," he admitted regretfully.

Pepper shook her head. "How could you have known, Tony?" she asked.

"Well, for what it's worth, it was all I could do not to march after you when you left the beach that night," he told her.

"So, what happened?" she asked, with a knowing smirk. "Lose your nerve?"

Tony smiled at her sheepishly, and shrugged. "You could say that," he admitted. "I don't know. I...spent some time thinking, and...I guess I eventually realized it would've done more harm than good."

Pepper nodded in understanding. " _That,_ and the fact I was in _no_ shape to argue with you."

"Well, I know that _now,_ yeah," Tony agreed. _"So,_ instead I decided to let you have your space, like you'd asked, and take the couch for the night."

Pepper chuckled. "But _then..."_ she teased.

He smiled. " _Then,_ I came home to find Goldie Locks was already sleeping in my bed," he joked. "Or, on my _couch,_ as the case may be," he corrected.

They both laughed. But then, slowly, his face fell and he worked his jaw for a moment in thought. He shook his head. "I'll never forget it, though," he said wistfully.

Pepper looked at him curiously. "Forget what?" she asked.

"Seeing you _there_ , after all that had happened. You looked so peaceful, Pep. I gotta say, though. I was shocked you were wearing _my_ t-shirt, _considering,_ but..."

"An error I didn't realize I'd made until the next morning, in all fairness," she interjected, with a smirk.

Tony chuckled, and shook his head. "It didn't matter. Strangely enough, I kind of appreciated it, if you wanna know the truth," he said. His chin began to quiver and he worked his jaw again, this time to tamp down the onset of emotion. But his eyes became glassy. He gave her an impish smile. "For the longest time, all I could do was just stand there," he murmured, giving her a weak, but loving smile. "Even at _that_ moment, I couldn't take my _eyes_ off of you."

Pepper watched him silently for a moment, as he quickly averted his eyes before a stray tear had the chance to escape. He took a deep breath, before looking back at her. He shrugged. "Guess that makes me a sucker, huh? A glutton for punishment?" he asked.

Pepper just shook her head. "No," she murmured softly in understanding. "It _doesn't._ And while we're admitting to appreciating each others small gestures- inadvertent or otherwise- thanks for the blanket," she said, with a soft, gracious smile.

Tony shrugged again. "What can I say? You looked _cold,"_ he replied, matter of fact. "Peaceful. _Beautiful._ But... _cold,"_ he said, smiling sweetly.

Pepper smiled back, impressed by the fact that, even as wounded as they both were that night, he _still_ had had it in him to look after her. To take care of her. _If that isn't love,_ she thought to herself, reluctant in her admission, but finding that truth to be undeniable.

Tony took another deep breath, and ran his hands lovingly up and down her sides. " _Well,_ Ms. Potts," he said with a smirk. "If you're feeling up to it, I think a little dinner is in order. Whad'ya say?"

Pepper grinned. "I'd love it," she replied. "But who delivers way out _here?_ " she asked.

Tony's eyes began to sparkle with mischief. He raised his pointer finger, switching it back and forth in front of her. "Ah,ah,ah, Potts! You're forgetting who you're talking to," he quipped.

"Oh, _God,_ " she groaned, rolling her eyes dramatically. _"_ You've come up with some grand plan, haven't you?" she guessed, finding it hard to keep the corners of her mouth from turning up in amusement.

Tony cocked an eyebrow. "Of _course!_ You expected _less_ _?"_ he asked, smirking. "That _hurts,_ Potts. Really. I'm shocked you expected so little of me. First night in a long time with my best girl, and you don't think I'd have something special cooking?" he teased, but then recanted. "Well, not _me_ _personally._ I mean, _I_ don't have anything cooking. Not in the _literal_ sense. It's just an expression. Fitting. But not _true._ We all know what at nightmare I am in the kitchen. Best to leave it to the experts..."

Pepper laughed, and shook her head. "Glad to know _some_ things never change," she replied, mostly to herself, as Tony had continued to babble, oblivious to her in his musing.


End file.
